Don Bosco

Students enrolling in college or entering today’s job market in design-related industries are facing fierce competition. Don Bosco Technical Institute in Rosemead, CA, recognizes this issue and has given its high school students a head start by adding 25 Wacom Intuos4 Medium pen tablets to its lab.

Students enrolling in college or entering today’s job market in design-related industries are facing fierce competition. Don Bosco Technical Institute in Rosemead, CA, recognizes this issue and has given its high school students a head start by adding 25 Wacom Intuos4 Medium pen tablets to its lab. By incorporating the leading digital input technology used in industrial design, computer-aided design (CAD), media arts and related fields, the Institute’s goal is to ensure that students learn on the same tools they will encounter in higher education and their future careers.

Luis Garza, Chair of the Integrated Design, Engineering and Art (IDEA) department and instructor of Principles of Design, Engineering Graphics and CAD at Don Bosco Technical Institute was instrumental in convincing school administrators to upgrade the lab with Wacom tablets connected to Apple 27” iMac computers. "We want our students to have the best preparation and training we can give them," Garza says. "Using the Wacom tablets prepares them for the digital workflow that they will encounter as professionals. It just makes sense for them to learn with this technology from the start. Plus, students love the Intuos4 tablets and all the creative options they provide."

Technical fields, such as CAD and industrial design demand precise drawings, and Wacom's innovative pen technology ensures the absolute accuracy professionals require. The Intuos4 pen delivers 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity to achieve subtle nuances of pressure and dynamically adjust exposure, brush size and opacity. Garza's students comment that the ability to work digitally via pen and software provides more tools and better options, thus boosting their creativity.

“Using the Intuos4 feels just like drawing on paper, except that I prefer it to paper because of the additional choices,” says student Joseph De Guzman, who intends to pursue a career in architecture. "For instance, the Touch Ring feature is fantastic since it makes zooming in and out of an image and changing brush sizes a breeze.”

“There is a very short learning curve for the Intuos4,” adds student Benjamin Hasiwar, who is also aiming for a career in architecture. "If you make a mistake, you can just turn the pen over and erase your error.”

Because illustration is the current focus in Garza's CAD classes, the primary software for drawing and scaling design elements with the Intuos4 tablets is Adobe Photoshop, supplemented with Autodesk's AutoCAD.

“The Intuos4 is really well integrated with Photoshop," says De Guzman. "You can work fast because many Photoshop attributes can be accessed just by changing the pen pressure or tilt."

In his initial presentation to school administrators, Garza provided details of Wacom’s position and leadership role as “the input device” for professionals. The purchase aligned perfectly with the Institute's educational goals and administrators agreed with Garza. Now, the Intuos4 lab is constantly busy, with tablet-focused classes in Character Illustration and Media Design. As a side benefit, the Institute is even saving money on paper.

"Getting the Intuos4 tablets is the best thing we've done in a long time," Garza concludes. "Our students are now able to use leading edge technology and develop skills that will make them more competitive in the job market.”